WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – After struggling to plate runs the previous night, the William & Mary baseball team bounced back with a dominating 16-6 win over Hampton Roads rival Norfolk State on Wednesday night. The Tribe (16-7) used a balanced effort of nine players contributing at least one base hit to blow out the Spartans (8-13).
The Tribe stormed out to a commanding 12-1 lead after the first two innings. W&M sent 16 batters to the plate during the explosive rally. In the opening frame, seniors
Owen Socher,
Zach Pearson, and
Colin Lipke, and sophomore
Matt McDermott all doubled for a five-run frame. The Tribe capitalized on two hits and four NSU errors in the second innings to tack on seven more runs.
The Green and Gold manufactured a three-run rally in the sixth inning to expand its advantage. Junior
David Angstadt came off the bench for a one-out single before Socher barreled a double down the right line. A hit by pitch juiced the bases and on the next at-bat junior
Brandon Raquet walked in a run. The next pair of runs were platted via RBI single from junior
Matthew Trehub and a Lipke fielder's choice.
Freshman
Jack Cone (1-0) was the most effective in garnering the win. He tossed three shutout innings, struck out four, and conceded only two hits. Kevin Alicea (1-3) was taxed with the loss after allowing 12 runs (seven unearned) on six hits in two innings.
Tribe Standouts
Socher enjoyed a 3-for-6 performance with two doubles and two RBI. Pearson also doubled twice and drove in a run. Trehub finished the night 2-for-5 and posted two RBI. Lipke platted three runs and blasted his first double of the season. McDermott smashed an RBI double in the first inning, while Smith hit a RBI single in the second.
Notes
The Tribe scored 10-plus runs on the fifth occasion, twice against Norfolk State … Freshman
Tristan Snyder earned his first start of the season … Pearson doubled twice in a game for the second time, while it was the first occasion for Socher … Socher also earned a season-high in hits … Smith pushed his hitting streak to six games in a row … Trehub has registered three multi-hit games in his last five appearances … Three of the five W&M pitchers were freshmen.
Up Next
The Tribe will head the UNCW for its first CAA road series this weekend. The three-game set opens on Friday, March 29 at 6 pm, continues on Saturday, March 30 at 2 pm, and finishes on Sunday, March 31 at 2 pm.
